A MOTORIST who moved his car across a pub car park while more than four times the drink drive limit has been given a ban.

Anthony Knowles, 52, who later pleaded guilty to the offence, claimed that he had no intention of taking his Volvo on to the A595 at Calderbridge when witnesses saw him driving across the car park towards the exit outside the Stanley Arms pub.

Prosecutor George Shelley outlined the offending.

He said the incident happened at around 4pm in the car park belonging to the Stanley Arms Hotel at Calderbridge, near Sellafield.

Knowles, of Gosforth Gate, Gosforth, Seascale, was seen getting into his car before then driving and colliding with two parked cars nearby, causing minor damage to them both.

“Mr Knowles stopped close to the exit and got out,” said Mr Shelley. “He was spoken to by the witnesses, who commented on his level of intoxication.”

When the police arrived, a breath test showed he had 144mcg of alcohol in every 100mls of breath.

That reading rose to 153mcg of alcohol when he was retested at the police station.

The legal limit for driving is 35mcg. The driver of one of the cars which was hit told police the defendant initially refused to get out of his car. Barely able to walk and incoherent when he spoke, he was staggering around.

At one point, Knowles [pictured below] began video recording the witness who spoke to him. The person asked the defendant whether he realised he had collided with two cars and pointed out that there were children and elderly people in the area.

(Image: Newsquest)

At the time of the offence, the defendant was on police bail and under investigation for unrelated alleged offending.

John Smith, defending, told the court: “He felt that his motor vehicle was parked in a precarious position, at risk of being clipped by other passing cars. Then a space closer to the car park entrance became available.

“So he decided to move his car. He got in, reversed it, and hit the car behind him. He did not go on to the public road, and never intended to go on to the public road. He was in a public car park.

“He believed he was entitled to drive his car that short distance in those circumstances. He does appear to have been cooperative.” The defendant had missed his first scheduled court appearance in Workington because he was unwell.

Mr Smith said Knowles feared he would lose his job at Dounraey nuclear site in Scotland, and was currently in a “negative mindset.”

District Judge John Temperley  told the defendant that he was "clearly very drunk" and there were obvious dangers.

However, given the repeated claims from Knowles that he did not plan to drive on the A595, the judge said he was persuaded he could draw back from custody. He imposed a one-year community order.

The sentence includes 200 hours un unpaid work in the community and a 90-day electronically monitored alcohol abstinence order. Knowles was banned for 13 months. He must pay £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge.  

The defendant was offered the drink driver rehabilitation course, which if completed by a deadline will reduce the length of his ban.